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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29027997">Missed Blind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denois/pseuds/Denois'>Denois</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Check Please! (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adam "Holster" Birkholtz - Freeform, Canon typical alcohol use, Christopher "Chowder" Chow - Freeform, Eric "Bitty" Bittle - Freeform, Getting Together, Justin "Ransom" Oluransi - Freeform, Kissing without consent, M/M, Strip Poker, having your bro's back so that he can safely have a good time, insinuations of potential dubcon situations due to alcohol use, introspection and discussion of when consent is possible, kissing under the influence of alcohol, other background or minor characters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:48:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,672</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29027997</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denois/pseuds/Denois</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Missed Blind: A required bet that is not posted when it is a player's turn to do so, perhaps occurring when a player absents themself from the table. Various rules require the missed bet to be made up upon the player's return.<br/>-Glossary of Poker Terms, Wikipedia</p>
</blockquote>They didn’t start playing strip poker immediately. In hindsight, it might have been better if they had.<p>Maybe Chowder recognized that. He disappeared before the first cards were dealt, citing a need to call Farmer.</p>
<p>Maybe Dex should have followed his example. Found an excuse. Gone back to his room.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>127</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/draskireis">Draskireis</a> gets the usual shout out for being my beta reader on this. He also gets an additional blame for saying "this isn't done yet. Make it a chapter fic." </p>
<p>So yeah, this was meant to be a oneshot, and instead you get a short chapter fic that will update once a week on Wednesdays until Feb 10.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Somehow, it was easier to lose in the first round than the finals. To not have been so close he could taste it. Or maybe it was just that he didn’t feel like he had as much to prove to Ransom as he had Jack. After all, he was closer to Ransom in a lot of ways. He was Ransom’s Frog. He knew that Ransom would still like him even without hockey.</p>
<p>So, Dex wasn’t really surprised when he and Nursey both received text invites to hang out in Ransom’s and Holster’s hotel room for “drinking and poker” after the loss. He didn’t feel a need to try to drink away the loss. He had no need to drink to celebrate. And he didn’t particularly want to play strip poker with his teammates. </p>
<p>But Nursey wanted to go and they were line partners. Friends.</p>
<p>So, Dex went.</p>
<p>They didn’t start playing strip poker immediately. In hindsight, it might have been better if they had.</p>
<p>At least then everyone would have been sober when the clothes started coming off.</p>
<p>Instead, they started with alcohol and dancing, with everyone (except Dex and Chowder) taking several shots and then apparently pretending they had a dance floor to themselves. At least, that was what Dex could make out of the disconnect between Bitty trying to twerk, Nursey gyrating his hips like he was grinding (or maybe be ground on), Holster doing the robot, and Ransom flossing. Chowder headbanging couldn’t be blamed on alcohol. </p>
<p>It wasn’t entirely surprising that the dance styles were so disjointed considering there wasn’t actually any music playing, but it also should have been a clue that proceeding to strip poker was not the best decision they’d ever made.</p>
<p>Maybe Chowder recognized that. He disappeared before the first cards were dealt, citing a need to call Farmer.</p>
<p>Maybe Dex should have followed his example. Found an excuse. Gone back to his room.</p>
<p>But even looking back, he knew he wouldn’t. Even in the middle of the game, he knew that was never really an option.</p>
<p>Given the option, he would always choose to be near Nursey.</p>
<p>Sitting beside him during strip poker might have been a bit too near. But it didn’t start out bad. It started out pretty okay.</p>
<p>“Okay, five card draw, aces high, no wilds. Lowest hand each round removes an article of clothing. To keep it fair, accessories do not count.” Holster was shuffling like he spent summers working in a Vegas casino while he talked.</p>
<p>“That hardly seems fair, Mr. Mr. Mr Holster.” Bitty glared across the table.</p>
<p>It wasn’t surprising that he was arguing the accessory rule. He probably had the most accessories currently of them all. </p>
<p>“We’re not dropping drawers while you’re still being coy with a bowtie, Bitty. You don’t have to play, but we’re all going to accept the same risk here.” Ransom paused in pouring more shots for himself, Holster, and Nursey to cut the deck without looking over at Bitty.</p>
<p>Then Bitty promptly lost the first round, throwing down a hand with an assortment of suits and nothing higher than an eight. He glared at Ransom and Holster while kicking off a shoe.</p>
<p>“Both shoes, Bitty. Shoes count as one item.” </p>
<p>“If you wanted to see me in my birthday suit, you could have just asked Mr Ransom.”</p>
<p>When Nursey lost the next round, he started with removing his shirt. </p>
<p>Dex was pretty sure that he was still close enough to the tipsy side of drunk that it was an intentional, and pointed, move.</p>
<p>The shots kept being poured, and Dex was pretty sure that not drinking was giving him an advantage. He wasn’t terrible at poker anyway, but the rest of the group was taking shots more frequently than they were taking cards. </p>
<p>Ransom removed his shoes, then Nursey took his off (while grumbling about how his jeans wouldn’t pull off over them), Bitty lost his socks, then Holster followed Nursey’s precedent of removing his shirt first. Then Nursey lost his socks and jeans back to back. Which left him in his bikini briefs. </p>
<p>They were all on a hockey team together. It shouldn’t have been an issue. It wasn’t like Nursey didn’t wander around the dressing room in nothing but his compression shorts on the regular. </p>
<p>But Nursey was sober in the dressing room. And so were the rest of their teammates.</p>
<p>“Got any tequila?” Nursey stood up suddenly and checked the row of bottles on the dresser. Apparently, he was tired of the vodka that Ransom had been pouring and he held each bottle up close to his face to read the labels.</p>
<p>“I guess it is true. What they say.” Bitty’s comment was barely more than a murmur and if he followed it up with some Southernism to explain what it was that they said, Dex didn’t hear it over the sound of Holster dealing the next hand.</p>
<p>It was about time for Dex’s run of luck to end. </p>
<p>“Fuck. I can’t believe Nurse’s hand was higher than mine.” He threw his cards down, face down.</p>
<p>“Helluva time for your luck to run out Dex.” Holster’s gaze barely flickered in Nursey’s direction as he stared Dex down.</p>
<p>He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “It was bound to happen eventually.”</p>
<p>He lost his socks in the next hand, also discarded face down. Then Holster lost his shoes and Bitty lost his shirt. Ransom had a bad couple of hands and lost his shirt and socks before Dex removed his shirt and jeans in two hands one after the other. </p>
<p>He sat back down and tried to ignore the fact he was in his boxer briefs in a hotel room under the heavy gaze of four other men. They shared a dressing room. It wasn’t like he was completely naked. And at least he was sober and could actually consent to the situation.</p>
<p>“Damn, Dex.”</p>
<p>“Why, Mr. Poindexter.”</p>
<p>Dex stared at the table, wishing that they’d just get on with dealing the next hand.</p>
<p>Nursey crawling into his lap was very unexpected. “I can take ‘im.” </p>
<p>Dex hadn’t tracked how many shots Nursey’d taken but he knew it was more than three since there’d been at least one before the dancing, one at the table, and then one when he switched alcohols. It was probably a few more than that if he was in the climbing into laps stage. </p>
<p>Leaning over to grab their clothes wasn’t easy because he had to keep himself and Nursey balanced, but he managed it, somehow. It was almost easy in comparison to stand up, holding Nursey and the clothes as he did. It helped that Nursey wrapped his arms and legs around Dex and clung to him like a koala. It took a bit of maneuvering to get the door open, though. He didn’t want it to slam into Nursey. </p>
<p>As soon as they were in the hall, Dex craned his neck to pull his head back. “Come on, Nurse. I need to be able to see where I’m going or we won’t make it to the room.”</p>
<p>“‘S biphobic.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think walking is biphobic.”</p>
<p>“Is wh’ no kiss.”</p>
<p>“Ok, well it’s also biphobic for me to drop you or run into something because I can’t see where I’m going.”</p>
<p>Nursey settled down a bit at that. “Chill.”</p>
<p>He sounded sullen, but he did stop blocking Dex’s vision by trying to kiss him which was Dex’s first priority right then. </p>
<p>Somehow, amazingingly, they made it down the hall to their room and into the room to the beds without any major or minor injuries occurring. </p>
<p>Dex leaned over the bed to set Nursey down, but he just clinged tighter. </p>
<p>“Hey now, you’ve gotta get into bed, yeah?”</p>
<p>Nursey pulled his head away from where it had been tucked against Dex’s neck and looked around. “Oh. Yeah. Issa good idea. You have the best ideas.” </p>
<p>He let go and fell back onto the bed, grinning up at Dex. He wiggled his abs and hips as he moved further onto the bed, still watching Dex, and clearly thinking he looked hot.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, he was correct. </p>
<p>Dex couldn’t help but return the smile. “Get comfortable, alright Nurse? Lay on your side. I’m gonna finish getting things ready.” </p>
<p>He went into the bathroom, leaving Nursey’s clothes next to his bag but taking his own with him. Once he was redressed, at least in jeans and a shirt, he turned on the tap and filled one of the little cups the hotel provided. Tap water wasn’t the best, but it was extra anyway. When the glass was full, he stopped and stared at his reflection for several long seconds before turning away and back out into the main part of the room. </p>
<p>He wasn’t sure if it was just a thing that all hotels had mini fridges in them now, or if it was just that Samwell always sprung for hotels with enough stars that the rooms all had mini fridges, but the room had a mini fridge. And they’d expected it and brought some drinks to chill in it, so Dex stopped to pull out one of Nursey’s Powerade bottles as well.</p>
<p>The bottle of pain killers came from his own bag. </p>
<p>Nursey was already snoring softly when he set the drinks and the medicine on the table between the beds. He didn’t rouse when Dex gently nudged his feet enough to pull the blanket and sheet from under them and cover him up. Most importantly, he had rolled onto his side and stayed there, so he was about as safe as anyone could make him. </p>
<p>Dex turned off the light as he left the room.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey Chris. Can I stay in your room tonight?”</p>
<p>“Of course! Did you and Nursey have a fight? He was drinking. You know he didn’t mean it.” Chowder’s eyebrows were doing a complicated dance of concern as he let Dex into the room, but Dex barely noticed.</p>
<p>Instead, he swallowed hard and tried to forget the feel of Nursey’s mouth on his neck. “I know he didn’t. It’s fine.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nursey woke up the morning after the Samwell Men’s Hockey team was knocked out of the ECAC playoffs with a vile taste in his mouth that could only mean one thing. Someone had let him drink tequila the night before. </p>
<p>He didn’t even have to guess who. Ransom and Holster had invited them over for drinks the night before and he’d told Holster the months before that the only time he got super drunk - like no inhibitions drunk, like dancing on tables drunk - was when tequila was involved. And somehow tequila kept being available any time the team was drinking.</p>
<p>But it was fine. There was water, Powerade, and painkillers on the table next to his bed because Dex always left that stuff even when he didn’t need it. And Dex was already gone so he had the room to himself to try to feel human again. </p>
<p>Drinking tepid water wasn’t really his thing, so he used the cup of water to take the painkillers and then abandoned it. Lukewarm Powerade wasn’t much better, honestly. Usually Dex put the bottle in a little cozy for him. Must have not brought one on the trip. </p>
<p>It wasn’t good, but it was available without getting out of bed, so he drank it all. The next priorities were pissing and brushing the vile fuzz from his teeth and tongue. After he’d chugged another Powerade (this one fresh from the mini fridge) to clear the mint taste of toothpaste, he pulled on some track pants and t-shirt to go in search of breakfast.</p>
<p>The hotel had its own restaurant, which was chill because that meant a full breakfast, not just the picked over remains of a continental breakfast. Those things could never stand up to the entire team. Not that the entire team beat him to breakfast. He was pretty sure that he wasn’t the <em>last</em> one down. </p>
<p>But most of the team was already eating when he got there.</p>
<p>Which meant there weren’t a lot of places left to sit. He was passing the table with Ollie and Wicky when one of them reached out a fist for a bump. </p>
<p>“Nice pull, bro. Wicky owes me twenty bucks thanks to you. He thought you’d never go for it.” Ollie then.</p>
<p>He wasn’t making any sense, and a glance at Wicky didn’t resolve anything. Wicky was just glaring at Ollie and shoving pancakes into his mouth. </p>
<p>So Nursey bumped Ollie’s fist and kept walking.</p>
<p>Holster actually stood up to clap his hand on Nursey’s shoulder. “My man with the wheels! You owe me deets, bro. You owe me deets.”</p>
<p>Ransom stayed seated but grinned up at him too. “I cannot believe you made that work, but damn bro! You did it.”</p>
<p>“Uh, chill?”</p>
<p>He didn’t see Chowder, but Dex was sitting at a table by himself.</p>
<p>Well, by himself, but with a plate of food at the other spot, and his foot hooked through the other chair to keep people from trying to sit with him.</p>
<p>Nursey was pretty sure that was a clear sign that he wanted to be left alone. </p>
<p>Except that when Nursey was passing the table to head for an empty seat further back, Dex pushed the chair out with his feet. </p>
<p>“That’s how you like your eggs, right?”</p>
<p>Nursey looked down at the plate. It was, indeed, how he liked his eggs. And bacon. And it looked like the coffee was how he preferred it too. He sat down.</p>
<p>“Is everyone being mad weird today? Are they pranking me because I drank tequila and they know I won’t remember?”</p>
<p>Dex paused with his forkful of eggs nearly to his mouth. “Don’t worry about it. They just think we hooked up last night.”</p>
<p>Then he filled his mouth with eggs instead of making that statement make sense.</p>
<p>Except, well. Dex would be embarrassed by it, wouldn’t he?</p>
<p>"Ok, I know I didn't wheel, but did I seriously forget seeing Poindexter finally wheel someone?" Nursey couldn’t help the grin that was spreading across his face. </p>
<p>Chill, okay. Maybe he could have helped the grin, but he didn’t even try.</p>
<p>But Dex didn’t seem phased by it, just loaded his fork with more food. “No. You didn’t. Like I said. They think we hooked up. Just ignore them. They’ll shut up eventually.”</p>
<p>That left Nursey blinking in confusion and the grin falling away. Something about the way Dex kept phrasing the statement about them hooking up. Something about-</p>
<p>“Why do they think <em>we</em> hooked up, Poindexter?”</p>
<p>"Because if someone had climbed into their lap and started kissing them, they would have hooked up with the person no matter how much alcohol had been consumed."</p>
<p>He watched Dex chew for several seconds, trying to decide if this was just a continuation of some sort of team wide prank. </p>
<p>It was hard to tell with Dex. His face was completely impassive. If the team actually thought that Dex had hooked up with him, surely Dex would have <em>some</em> kind of reaction to that.</p>
<p>He just had to get Dex to admit it was a prank.</p>
<p>“So, you don’t care that they think you hooked up with me?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I’m <em>pissed</em> that they think I’d take advantage of you.” Dex looked the least pissed Nursey’d ever seen him as he spread some butter on a piece of toast. “But it does feel good to be vindicated in not letting any of them make sure you got back to your room safely for the past two years.”</p>
<p>It occurred to Nursey that he didn’t like seeing Dex actually pissed off. He’d thought that he’d known what to expect from an angry Dex. But he’d never actually seen Dex angry. Grumpy with worry, sure all the time. Irritated and annoyed and frustrated on occasion. But the black ice of an angry Dex was something new altogether. </p>
<p>And it was directed at a different part of the situation than he expected.</p>
<p>“But you don’t care that they think you hooked up with me?”</p>
<p>Dex looked up from his toast and met Nursey’s eyes. “Your eggs are getting cold, Nurse.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dex sat on the roadie bus, perfectly still except for his hands. He stretched his fingers out, then slowly curled them back in to his palms, then stretched them out again. He kept repeating the motion. It provided something grounding to focus on.</p><p>Yes, the team wheeled at kegsters all the time. He was pretty sure that’s why Ransom and Holster were so into having them. But just because they’d hook up with a random Wellie who had been drinking didn’t mean they’d hook up with a teammate who’d been drinking. No matter how much they’d had to drink themselves. Except, then why else would they assume that Dex had? He didn’t even wheel at kegsters.</p><p>He took an extra deep breath and let it out slowly as he stretched his fingers out against his thighs, then slowly curled them back in. </p><p>They wouldn’t. He had to believe they wouldn’t do that to Nursey. Not Nursey. Not a teammate.</p><p>But then, what did they think had happened all the other times he’d helped Nursey back to his dorm safely after too many shots or too much tub juice? Did they just assume that he’d left with <em>someone</em> and not cared if it had been consensual or not?</p><p>Nursey shifted in his seat beside him and Dex took another deep breath.</p><p>Then he pulled out his phone.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Dex: Can I ask a weird question?</p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>Chowder: You just did! It’s weird to ask if you can ask a weird question.</p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>Dex: sorry.</p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>Chowder: What’s up?</p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>Dex: Have you noticed that the team has kind of outdated ideas about consent? Like, no means no instead of yes means yes?</p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>Chowder: YEP! That reminds me. I told them that you’re allergic to alcohol.</p>
</blockquote><p>Dex closed his eyes for a moment. That at least explained why they’d stopped pressuring him to drink all the time. But Chowder shouldn’t have had to lie for that to happen.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Dex: Thanks. How do we make the team better? For everyone about this shit?</p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>Chowder: uppers won’t listen to us. Even in goalie mode, they acted like I was a kid who didn’t know what sex was</p>
</blockquote><p>Dex sighed. It wasn’t surprising. It was how they’d treated Chowder since they got to Samwell.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Chowder: But we can talk to the taddies!</p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>Dex: Ayuh. I’ll look up resources for Tango’s questions.</p>
</blockquote><blockquote>
  <p>Chowder: [thumbs up emoji][grinning emoji][sharks emoji]</p>
</blockquote><p>He shoved his phone back into his pocket and sighed again. A glance at Nursey out of the corner of his eyes confirmed that Nursey was fine.</p><p>He was fine. No one had actually hurt him. No one had even had the opportunity to hurt him. </p><p>Dex and Chowder had a plan. It was fine. </p><p>When they got back to campus, maybe he could go for a run or build something in the Kotter workshops. Something to work out the pent up energy in his muscles. There was no one to be angry at. He just had to get back to campus and he could get rid of the energy.</p><p>Nursey’s shoulder bumped into his. “You never answered my question, Poindexter.”</p><p>He could pretend not to know what Nursey was talking about. It had been over an hour. They’d sat together all through breakfast. They’d gathered their stuff and gone through checkout. They’d loaded onto the bus and it had been on the road for awhile. He could pretend.</p><p>But he knew. </p><p>“Do you really need me to say it?”</p><p>Nursey didn’t respond. But he didn’t stop looking at Dex either.</p><p>“You really need words? Fine.” Dex took a breath, this time to fortify himself instead of release tension. “I saved a seat for you, Nurse. I ordered you breakfast and coffee the way you like it so that it would be ready when you woke up and came down. <em>After</em> I’d heard what the team was saying. So, no. No. I don’t care if they think I’d hook up with you.” He paused for half a second. “As long as they thought it was actually fucking consensual.”</p><p>“Oh.” Nursey looked away finally, dropping his head back and looking up at the ceiling of the bus.</p><p>He stayed like that for several seconds and Dex thought maybe that would be the end of it. Nursey would ignore what Dex had just admitted and they’d go back to being friends and pretending Dex wasn’t in love with Nursey. Which is what Dex thought they’d been doing since Nursey finally started eating his eggs.</p><p>“BTW. I don’t care if they think we hooked up either. As long as it was consensual.”</p><p>Great. Now he’d made Nursey think that he blamed <em>Nursey</em> for any of the situation. “It’s fine, Nurse. I know you say things when you’ve been drinking that you don’t mean. You don’t have to worry about me.”</p><p>The pause this time was much shorter. “Are you saying I’ve hit on you while drunk before?”</p><p>Dex pressed his lips together. He’d thought Nursey remembered. Or at least knew he got a lot more flirty after drinking. </p><p>“For fucks sake, Poindexter.”</p><p>“Like I said. It’s fine. You were drunk.”</p><p>It was fine. It was. It only happened when Nursey was drunk, because he didn’t mean it. And Dex could live with that. Had been living with that. Would continue to live with that. It was fine.</p><p>“If I wasn’t drunk, what would you have said?”</p><p>Dex sighed and pressed the heel of his palm into this thigh, rubbing it against the rough denim. “It’s a moot point because you only hit on me when you’re drunk.”</p><p>“Chill. If I asked you out when I wasn’t drunk, what would you say?”</p><p>Dex turned his head to look at Nursey for a long moment, trying to gauge his sincerity. “You aren’t drunk now?”</p><p>Lifting a shoulder in a half shrug, Nursey waggled his head a bit. “Still a bit hungover, but ch’yeah, I’m sober.”</p><p>Deep breath in for three seconds, let it out slow for five. </p><p>“Are you asking me out?”</p><p>At that, Nursey’s eyes skittered away from Dex, off to the side somewhere for a moment before returning to look at Dex again as Nursey swallowed. “If your answer is yes.”</p><p>Dex had to stop and blink for several seconds. This was some serious emotional whiplash from where he’d been when he got on the bus that morning. And, more to the point, something he hadn’t actually considered a possibility of happening outside of the idle daydreams that he didn’t have time for.</p><p>“Where are you asking me out to?”</p><p>“Dinner. Tonight.”</p><p>He let out a long slow breath again. “Tonight? That’s kind of short notice, Nurse. I’ll have to check my calen-. Yeah. I can do dinner tonight.”</p><p>Nursey’s face started to light up with a smile. “Chill. Can I-?”</p><p>The eyeroll was completely involuntary and overly fond, but he wasn’t sure Nursey noticed it anyway as Dex held out his hand, palm up, so that Nursey could hold it.</p><p>“Hey! What’s going on back there?” Chowder’s face appeared over the top of the seats in front of them. </p><p>“Remember how I said I knew Nursey didn’t mean what he’d said last night? Turn’s out he did mean it.”</p><p>“Oh! Wait. What did he say?”</p><p>“I’m taking him out to dinner tonight.”</p><p>Dex held back the laughter as best he could. “That’s not what he said, but close enough.”</p><p>“Swawesome!”</p>
<hr/><p>The date had been amazing. Dex knew that. </p><p>He couldn’t remember what he’d eaten or what it had tasted like.</p><p>But he remembered Nursey. </p><p>The temperature had dropped after sunset, while they’d been at the restaurant, and a light snow was falling around them as they walked carefully back to campus hand in hand. There were almost no cars or other people around, so they had the walk to themselves. Somehow, they’d fallen into a comfortable silence which even Nursey hadn’t felt the need to break for at least a minute.</p><p>Until they got to River Street and Dex stopped at the crosswalk.</p><p>“Why are we stopping?”</p><p>Dex tilted his head toward the stop light, unwilling to release Nursey’s hand to point and momentarily forgetting that he had another hand. “We don’t have the light.”</p><p>Nursey twisted around to look at the empty streets. “I think it’s chill, Dexy.”</p><p>Looking up at the softly falling snow, Dex considered for a moment. “I’m not really in a hurry for the date to end.”</p><p>There was a tug on his hand and when he looked down, Nursey was looking at him again. Dex let himself be pulled in close.</p><p>“Can I kiss you?”</p><p>He swallowed hard before he could manage a response. “Ayuh. Yeah. I’d like that.”</p><p>Nursey’s hand was warm on his jaw and Nursey’s lips were warm against his. It wasn’t a perfect kiss. His lips were chapped from the cold and pulled at Nursey’s as they slid together. He could feel the sticky remnants of his chapstick at the corners of his lips, not helping at all. Whatever they’d eaten earlier still tinged their breaths.</p><p>It was a perfect kiss.</p><p>He never wanted it to end. He didn’t even mind the cold.</p><p>“<strong>Walk</strong>.”</p><p>He pulled away reluctantly, rolling his lips in as he did. “We, uh, I guess we’ve got the light now.”</p><p>“<strong>Walk</strong>.”</p><p>“Ch’yeah. Seems like.”</p><p>They fell back into step together, pressed even closer than before. </p><p>When Dex angled for Nursey’s building, Nursey bumped their shoulders together. “What are you doing, Poindexter?”</p><p>“I’m walking you home. What does it look like?”</p><p>“Shouldn’t I be walking you home? I asked you out.”</p><p>He clearly didn’t mind too much, since they reached the door to his building and Dex held it open for him. </p><p>“We both know who is going to be worrying most about whom, Nurse.”</p><p>“Ch’yeah. I can’t worry more than you. I’m only human.” Nursey’s smile was slow to stretch across his face and Dex ducked his head in response. </p><p>Dex realized the problem with walking Nursey back to his room when they were standing outside the door. </p><p>“You could come in. Not, like, to hook up. Unless you wanted to. It would be chill if you wanted to. But, ch’yeah, like, no pressure. Just, maybe we could kiss again or something. Like you said, right? Not in a hurry for the date to end.”</p><p>Dex looked at the wood door to Nursey’s dorm and then squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t.”</p><p>“Chill. I just said you could.”</p><p>The tension broke and he huffed a laugh before opening his eyes. “No. I mean. I can’t go <em>back to your place</em>. I’ve got homework.” He stopped and shook his head. That was an excuse. “I need to take us slow. After all the <em>stuff</em>, I need to take time for us. And if I go in there, I don’t know how long that resolve will last.” </p><p>He watched Nursey’s face, hoping to see understanding. “Maybe next time.”</p><p>At that, Nursey’s smile reappeared. “But there will be a next time, then?”</p><p>Dex stepped in close to Nursey, his hand sliding along the side of his neck and jaw. “Can I?”</p><p>Nursey’s answering affirmative was barely more than a breath against his lips before their mouths slotted together again. </p><p>There was no crossing indicator to break them apart. There was nothing to interrupt them at all. The hall was empty. </p><p>Eventually, too soon, Dex pulled away again, walking backward down the hall as he kept his gaze on Nursey. </p><p>A few steps away, when he was sure he was committed enough not to give in and change his mind, he clenched a light fist and tapped the end of it gently against the wall twice. </p><p>“Yeah. There will be a next time.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had originally planned the story to end where Chapter 2 ended. But Draskireis is always wanting more words (which is his job as one of my chief enablers) and told me that the story wanted more (I translated that to mean that he wanted more), and insisted that these idiots should probably actually use their words. So, I hope you like these extra words where Nursey and Dex both somehow manage to find it within themselves to use their words. The kiss under a streetlamp in the softly falling snow was purely for my own enjoyment.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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